The Official Rules of Scrabble - How to Play Scrabble - Learn Scrabble Rules How to Play Scrabble Travel Scrabble Scrabble Rules - Scrabble Official Rules When playing Scrabble, anywhere from two to four players will enjoy the game. The object when playing is to score more points than other players. As words are placed on the game board, points are collected and each letter that is used in the game will have a different point value. The main strategy is to play words that have the highest possible score based on the combination of letters. The Scrabble Board A standard Scrabble board will consist of cells that are located in a large square grid. The board offers 15 cells high and 15 cells wide. The tiles used on the game will fit in each cell on the board. Scrabble Tiles There are 100 tiles that are used in the game and 98 of them will contain letters and point values. There are 2 blank tiles that can be used as wild tiles to take the place of any letter. When a blank is played, it will remain in the game as the letter it substituted for.

Different letters in the game will have various point values and this will depend on how rare the letter is and how difficult it may be to lay that letter. Blank tiles will have no point values. Tile Values Below are the point values for each letter that is used in a Scrabble game. 0 Points - Blank tile. 1 Point - A, E, I, L, N, O, R, S, T and U. 2 Points - D and G. 3 Points - B, C, M and P. 4 Points - F, H, V, W and Y. 5 Points - K. 8 Points - J and X. 10 Points - Q and Z. Extra Point Values When looking at the board, players will see that some squares offer multipliers. Should a tile be placed on these squares, the value of the tile will be multiplied by 2x or 3x. Some squares will also multiply the total value of the word and not just the single point value of one tile. Double Letter Scores - The light blue cells in the board are isolated and when these are used, they will double the value of the tile placed on that square.

Triple Letter Score - The dark blue cell in the board will be worth triple the amount, so any tile placed here will earn more points. Double Word Score - When a cell is light red in colour, it is a double word cell and these run diagonally on the board, towards the four corners. When a word is placed on these squares, the entire value of the word will be doubled. Triple Word Score - The dark red square is where the high points can be earned as this will triple the word score. Placing any word on these squares will boos points drastically. These are found on all four sides of the board and are equidistant from the corners. One Single Use - When using the extra point squares on the board, they can only be used one time. If a player places a word here, it cannot be used as a multiplier by placing another word on the same square. Starting the Game Without looking at any of the tiles in the bag, players will take one tile. The player that has the letter that is closest to “A” will begin the game. A blank tile will win the start of the game. The tiles are them replaced to the bag and used in the remainder of the game.

Every player will start their turn by drawing seven tiles from the Scrabble bag. There are three options during any turn. The player can place a word, they can exchange tiles for new tiles or they can choose to pass. In most cases, players will try to place a word as the other two options will result in no score. When a player chooses to exchange tiles, they can choose to exchange one or all of the tiles they currently hold. After tiles are exchanged, the turn is over and players will have to wait until their next turn to place a word on the board. Players can choose to pass at any time. They will forfeit that turn and hope to be able to play the next time. If any player passes two times in a row, the game will end and the one with the highest score will win. The First Word Score When the game begins, the first player will place their word on the star spin in the centre of the board. The star is a double square and will offer a double word score. All players following will build their words off of this word, extending the game to other squares on the board. Play continues in a clockwise direction around the Scrabble board.

Replacing Scrabble Tiles Once tiles are played on the board, players will draw new tiles to replace those. Players will always have seven tiles during the game. Drawing tiles is always done without looking into the bag so that the letters are always unknown. The Fifty Point Bonus Exciting rewards can come when players use all seven tiles to create a word on the board. When this happens, players will receive a 50 point bonus, in addition to the value of the word. If the game is near the end and players are not holding seven tiles, they do not get the bonus for using all of their tiles. This is only collected for seven letter words placed. The End of a Scrabble Game Once all tiles are gone from the bag and a single player has placed all of their tiles, the game will end and the player with the highest score wins. Tallying Scrabble Scores When the game ends, each player will count all points that are remaining on their tiles that have not been played. This amount will be deducted from the final score. An added bonus is awarded to the player that ended the game and has no remaining tiles.

The tile values of all remaining players will be added to the score of the player who is out of tiles to produce the final score for the game. The Scrabble player with the highest score after all final scores are tallied wins. Accepted Scrabble Words Any word that is found in a standard English dictionary can be used in the game of Scrabble. There are also Official Scrabble Dictionaries that can be purchased for more word options. There are some words that are not allowed to be played and these include suffixes, prefixes and abbreviations. Any word that requires the use of a hyphen or apostrophe cannot be played in the game. Any word that required the use of a capital letter is not allowed. When playing an English version of the game, foreign words are not allowed to be placed on the board. However, if the foreign word does appear in a standard English dictionary, it is allowed. The reason for this is due to the fact that the word is spoken enough and is considered part of the English language. This website is intended for information and entertainment purposes only. We are in no way affiliated with the SCRABBLE® brand and registered trademark. These intellectual property rights belong to Hasbro, Inc. in which we are not affiliated.

© Copyright 2016, Scrabble Pages . All rights reserved Scrabble/Rules - Wikibooks, open books for an open world Scrabble/Rules Standard playing equipment includes: 15x15 Scrabble board Standard set of 100 tiles according to the usual distribution, placed in an opaque bag or face-down on the table (a bag is required in tournament play) One rack per player Goal[ edit ] The goal of Scrabble is to score as many points as possible by placing letter tiles to create words onto the game board. At the end of the game, when one player has used all of his tiles and there are no more tiles left to draw, the game ends. Before the game[ edit ] Players should agree on a dictionary or word source to be used, for the purpose of adjudicating challenges. The game is set up so that each player possesses one rack. The 100 letter tiles are placed into an opaque bag (or face-down), hidden from view. Each player draws one tile to determine order of play. The player with the letter closest to "A" in the alphabet, with the blanks taking precedence over "A," goes first, and play proceeds clockwise.

If two players tie for first, repeat. Players return tiles to the bag, and shuffle. Each player draws seven tiles, and places them on his or her rack, hidden from other players. Tournament play[ edit ] Since having all 100 tiles is crucial to tournament game play, players should confirm that the Scrabble set contains 100 tiles (this is usually done by arranging the tiles into four 5x5 squares, or one 10x10 square). In most tournament games, the player with the fewer number of firsts will go first; if there is a tie, the player with the most number of seconds goes first. If there is still a tie, both players draw one tile, as described above. Gameplay[ edit ] The first word formed must consist of at least two letters that form a word reading left-to-right or top-to-bottom, and touch the center square (H8, marked with a star). On every turn, the player has the option to: Pass his or her turn, scoring nothing. Exchange 1-7 tiles, scoring nothing. The proper way to exchange tiles is to place the exchanged tiles face down, draw replacement tiles, and put the exchanged tiles into the bag.

You can only exchange if there are at least 7 tiles in the bag. Make a play by adding at least one new tile to the board, record the score for the play, and add to his/her cumulative score. After making a play, the player announces the score for that play, and draws replacement tiles so that (s)he has seven tiles. Every play thereafter must connect to at least one tile already on the board. On subsequent plays, players can Extend a previously played word; e.g. if PARK is played, (PARK)S, (PARK)ING, RE(PARK) and RE(PARK)ING are all acceptable plays. "Hook" a word by adding one letter to a previously played word, and playing perpendicular (e.g. if PARK is played, playing ZEALOTS/S(PARK) is valid). Playing parallel to a previously-played word. For example, playing ILEA under PARK, forming PI, AL, RE, and KA. Some rules about subsequent plays: Diagonal plays or words that read right-to-left or bottom-to-top (e.g. SEIVARG*) are not acceptable.

All letters played in one turn must lie on a line and form a continuous word (usually called the "main word"). At least one tile played must be adjacent to a tile previously on the board. Plays that violate the above conditions are unacceptable, and can be challenged off in tournament play, regardless of validity. There are two blank tiles, which may be used as any letter. Blank tiles score 0 points, regardless of the letter it designates. When a blank is played, the letter that the blank represents must be indicated, and cannot change in subsequent turns. Acceptable words[ edit ] All words in the agreed-upon dictionary, including inflections, are acceptable. Proper nouns are not acceptable, unless they have separate meanings (such as CHINA, JACK, or BOSTON). Most acronyms or abbreviations are not allowed, unless they appear as separate entries. Archaic spellings are generally not allowed. Foreign words which have been incorporated into the language are valid. Vulgar and offensive words are acceptable in tournament and most club play (however, the National School Scrabble Championship uses the OSPD5, which expurgates offensive words).

The official word list in North American tournament play is the Official Club and Tournament Word List, 3nd Edition. In other countries, the official word list is Collins Scrabble Words (CSW), 2015 edition. Note: Words that are only acceptable in CSW, but not TWL, are commonly denoted by a #. Challenging a play[ edit ] Main article: Challenging a play If player A forms a word that the opponent believes is invalid (not listed in the agreed-upon dictionary), the opponent can challenge the play. If the word(s) challenged are listed in the dictionary, the opponent loses his/her turn. If any of the challenged word(s) does not appear in the dictionary, player A removes his play from the board and loses his/her turn. The opponent can only challenge a play before player A draws replenishment tiles. See article on "Challenging a play" for more details. End of the game[ edit ] Under North American tournament rules, the game ends when: There are no more tiles left to draw, and one player has used up his or her tiles (known as playing out), or Six consecutive scoreless turns have occurred.

If a player plays out, the sum of the values of his opponents' tiles is added to his score, while each of the opponents' scores is reduced by the sum on his or her rack. In tournament play, the player playing out receives twice the value of his opponent's rack, and the opponent's score is unchanged. This does not affect point spread, but makes scoring slightly easier. Scoring[ edit ] Each letter tile has a number next to it that indicates how many points it is worth. Common letters, such as vowels, are worth 1 point, while rare letters such as "Q", "X", and "Z" are worth 8-10 points. Blank tiles are worth zero points. The score of a play is equal to the sum of the scores of all new words formed (including extensions or hook words, see examples below). Double Letter Score and Triple Letter Score (DLS, TLS) - a letter on this space is doubled or tripled in its point value. Double Word Score and Triple Word Score (DWS, TWS) - if any letter touches this space, the entire word is doubled in point value.

If your word includes both a letter bonus and a word bonus, the letter bonus is applied first, in accordance with order of operations. Note that the center square is a DWS, so the first play of the game receives a double word score. The premium letter squares are only applied on the first turn that they are used. On subsequent plays, the premium letter squares are nulled. If a pre-existing word is added onto with a tile that lands on a double word tile, the original word is not doubled. A play that covers two DWS is doubled then re-doubled (i.e. the score for the word is 4 times its face value) and is sometimes referred to as a "double-double." Similarly, a play covering two TWS is tripled then re-tripled ("triple-triple."). If a player uses all seven of their tiles on one play, they receives an extra 50 points, in addition to the score for the word. Such a play is commonly referred to as a bingo or a bonus. At the end of the game when nobody can make a move or someone goes out of tiles, each player subtracts the amount of points that remain unused on their rack from their total score.

If someone goes out of tiles, then the total of points on all other players' racks is added to their score as well. For this reason it's usually advantageous to be the first to dump all your tiles. Example[ edit ] Suppose player 1 plays FINED 8D. The score for this play is 2*(2*4 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2) = 26 points. Suppose player 2 extends FINED to form CON(FINED) 8A. The score for this play is 3*(3+1+1+4+1+1+1+2) = 42 points. Note that the F on the DLS retains its face value. Suppose player 1 plays BATTInG 7G (with a blank I), forming BE and AD. The score for the main word, BATTInG is 3*2 + 1 + 2*1 + 1 + 1 + 0 + 2*2 = 15. The score for B(E) is 3*2 + 1 = 7 (note that the B is doubled both directions).

The score for A(D) is 1+2 = 3. However, BATTInG uses all seven tiles, so it receives a 50 point bonus. The score for the play is 15+7+3+50 = 75. Player 1 has a 101-42 lead. Notation[ edit ] Like chess, Scrabble uses a notation system to annotate plays. Rows are labelled 1-15, and columns A-O, as shown below. Each square has a unique coordinate, so the top left square would be A1 and the center star is H8. A 3× WS Plays are usually notated in the form "WORD xy +score" where WORD indicates the main word played, xy is the coordinate of the first letter of the main word, and score is the score for the play. If the main word reads left-to-right, the row number precedes the column letter, and if the main word reads top-to-bottom, the column letter precedes the row number. All letters (except for blank tiles) are capitalized. Finally, if a word is played through one or more letters, the letters that were already on the board are surrounded by parentheses ().

For example, the first two plays of the game shown above are: QUAY 8E +32 Scrabble Rules - How to Play Scrabble - Official SCRABBLE Rules Scrabble Rules Links to Scrabble rules and Scrabble official game instructions. Two to four players play in any game of Scrabble. The object of Scrabble is to score more points than one's opponent. A player collects points by placing words on the game board. Each letter has a different point value, so the strategy becomes to play words with high scoring letter combinations. The Scrabble Board A Scrabble game board is made of up cells in a square grid. The Scrabble board is 15 cells wide by 15 cells high. The Scrabble tiles fit within these cells one to a cell. Scrabble Tiles Scrabble is played with exactly 100 tiles. 98 of these tiles contain letters on them, while there are 2 blank tiles. These blank tiles add a wildcard aspect to Scrabble. The blanks substitute for any letter in the alphabet. Once played, a blank tile remains for the remainder of the game the letter for which it was substituted when first played.

Various letters have different point values, depending on the rarity of the letter and the difficulty in playing it. Blank tiles have no point value. Tile Values Here are the point values for each letter in Scrabble. 0 Points - Blank tile. 1 Point - A, E, I, L, N, O, R, S, T and U. 2 Points - D and G. 3 Points - B, C, M and P. 4 Points - F, H, V, W and Y. 5 Points - K. 8 Points - J and X. 10 Points - Q and Z. Extra Point Values Some squares on the Scrabble board represent multipliers. If a tile is placed on this square, then the tile's value is multiplied by a factor or either 2x or 3x. Certain tiles multiply the point value of an entire word and not simply the tile on that space. Double Letter Scores - Light blue cells are found isolated on the board. When a tile is placed on this space, that tile's point value is multiplied by two. Triple Letter Score - This is a dark blue cell on the Scrabble. The tile placed on this square has its points multiplied by three.

Double Word Score - Light red cells are found running diagonally towards the four corners of the board. When a player plays a word on one of these squares, the point value of the entire word is multiplied by two. Triple Word Score - This is a dark red square on the Scrabble board. These are found on the four sides of the board equidistant from the four corners of the board. When a word is played using this square, then the points for the word are multiplied by three. One Single Use - Note that extra point squares are only usable once. If one player plays a word using this cells, then the next time that space is used to make a word, the point value is not multiplied. Starting the Game Without looking into the tile bag, each of the Scrabble players takes one tile out of the tile bag. Whichever player has the letter closest to the beginning of the alphabet goes first. A blank tile is considered better than an "A". These tiles are placed into the bag once more. Starting the game, each player begins their turn by drawing seven tiles apiece from the bag. The player can do one of three things on a turn. The player can place a word, exchange tiles or pass.

Most of the time, the player will take the option of playing a word. Exchanging tiles allows a player to replace anywhere between one and all of the tiles on the player's rack. If this option is taken, the player cannot do anything else that hand. Therefore, a tile exchange cannot be performed on a turn when the player places a word on the board. A player may pass at any time. If all player's pass twice in a row, then the game ends. The First Word Score A player begins the game by placing a word on the star square at the center of the board. This star acts as a double word score. The star cell does not act as a double word score for subsequent players playing off the center square. Play continues in a clockwise direction around the Scrabble board. Replacing Scrabble Tiles When a player places tiles on the Scrabble board, that player draws new tiles from the tile bag, adding until that player's number of tiles equals seven. The player must not look at the tiles when choosing new ones. Tile selection is usually done by holding the bag above the eye line, then reaching into the bag to add tiles one by one.

The Fifty Point Bonus When a player is able to place all seven tiles from the tile rack on the board at the same time, that player receives a 50 point bonus. In end game scenarios, when the players hold less than the standard seven tiles, a player does not get the 50 point bonus for using all the tiles on the rack. The End of a Scrabble Game When all of the tiles have been taken from the bag and one player has used all of the tiles on their rack, then the game ends. Tallying Scrabble Scores Once the game has ended, each player counts the points on the tiles left remaining in their rack. Each player has that number deducted from their final score. The player who ended the game and who therefore has no more tiles remaining is given an added bonus. Add the total of all points of all remaining players with tiles left on their racks. This number is added to the final score of the player who is "out" of tiles. The Scrabble player with the highest score after all final scores are tallied wins. Accepted Scrabble Words Players may place any word which can be found in a standard English language dictionary. Official Scrabble dictionaries also can be found in bookstores and online.

Types of words which cannot be used are abbreviations, prefixes and suffixes. Words that require a hyphen or an apostrophe cannot be played. Words that are spelled with a capital letter cannot be used. Generally speaking in an English-language game of Scrabble, foreign words cannot be placed on the Scrabble board. If those words appear in a standard English dictionary, then the word is allowable. This is because the word is spoken often enough by native English-speakers that it has become a part of the English language. See also: Play Scrabble online, Scrabble rules, rules for Scrabble, email scrabble, scrabble board, scrabble on-line, scrabble game with chat room, scrabble games, word games, word puzzles Scrabble© tile values, blanks have no score value. All players are randomly allocated 7 tiles each at the start of all new games. All words labelled as a part of speech (including those listed of foreign origin, and as archaic, obsolete, colloquial, slang, etc.) are permitted with the exception of the following: words always capitalized, (proper nouns), abbreviations, prefixes and suffixes standing alone, words requiring a hyphen or an apostrophe.

T he first player combines two or more of his or her letters to form a word and places it on the board to read either across or down with at least one letter on the CENTRE SQUARE. Diagonal words are not allowed. Complete your turn by counting and announcing your score for that turn. Then draw as many new letters as you played; always keeping seven letters on your rack, as long as there are enough tiles left in the letter bag. (The game does all of the above paragraph for you automatically). Play passes to the "left". The second player, and then each in turn, adds one or more letters to those already played to form new words. All letters played on a turn must be placed in one row across or down the board, to form at least one complete word. If, at the same time, they touch others letters in adjacent rows, those must also form complete words, crossword fashion, with all such letters. The player gets full credit for all words formed or modified on his or her turn. N ew words may be formed by: There are five different ways that new words can be formed: 1.

Adding one or more tiles to the beginning or end of a word already on the board, or to both the beginning and end of that word. e.g. Trainer can become Strainers if you have two tiles with the letter S. 2. Placing a word at right angles to a word already on the board. The new word must use one of the letters of the word already on the board. Note, a right angle can be _| or |_ 3. Placing a complete word parallel to a word already played so that adjoining tiles also form complete words. 4. A new word added at right angles can also add a letter to an existing word. 5. The last variation is to bridge two or more letters. (This can only be done after the fourth move or later in the game). No tile may be shifted or replaced after it has been played and scored. You can only play onto, across or adjacent to existing words on the game board. See example below. You cannot play a word in one direction, then play another word off that same word, save for 4 above. Where only one tile is added, either at the front, or at the end of an existing word.

There is no rule to suggest, the same word may not be played, more than once on the board. This play is perfectly valid, since the word GERM already exists on the game board. This play is invalid, since DRYER does not yet exist on the game board. You can only play onto, across, or adjacent to existing words on the board. Words cannot be spelt nor read backwards, like GRAY as YARG, unless they are palindromic of course! Blanks: The two blank tiles may be used as any letters. They look like this in your letter tray on the game page. To play a blank, you just type in the required field, the letter you want your blank to represent. Its score value is zero. Say you played PLAYS onto HOUR, and used your blank as an S, it will now appear like this on your game board. The official rules of SCRABBLE do not allow a player, later in the game, to change the letter that the blank represents. Likewise, a player may not replace the blank with the letter it represents and use the blank in another word. At the National Scrabble Association's clubs and tournaments, this rule is strictly enforced.

Advanced Tip: If you are playing a blank that coincides with a letter you already have (you have one S, one blank but need to spell a word with two S's), then it might be best to use "-", the minus sign, to play the blank explicitly so the program knows WHERE the blank should go. For more details please click here . You may use a turn to exchange all, some, or none of the letters. To do this, click on Swap Letters or Skip Turn, and follow the instructions on that page. There is no restriction on the number of times a player may exchange tiles during a game. However, there must be at least seven tiles remaining in the bag, regardless of the number of tiles being exchanged. A ny play may be challenged before the next player starts a turn. If the play challenged is unacceptable, the challenged player takes back his or her tiles and loses that turn. If the play challenged is acceptable, the challenger loses their turn, and points scored. Abbreviations and Proper Nouns are not allowed. Please consult the Official Scrabble Dictionaries if you are in doubt. A player can only challenge the previous players play.

If a word is challenged, and with the consent of the player who played the "invalid" word, then that word can be removed, and its points deducted. This effectively makes the player who played the "invalid" word lose their turn. It is important to realise, that if a play is not challenged, i.e. gone unnoticed, yet seen later, it cannot be challenged two or more moves after the foul. So the player whose turn it is next, must make sure that the previous players word is either "valid" or "invalid". A challenge can be performed at any stage of the game, so long as it fits the criteria above, and must only be done once. Performing a challenge twice, i.e. straight after the first challenge, effectively puts that play and its points scored back. The game ends when all letters have been drawn and one player uses his or her last letter; or when all possible plays have been made. Passing, or Skip Turn, is permitted at any time during the game. If each player passes thrice in succession however, the game is deemed as ended. Scoring 1) All scoring is automatic, the game does this for you, and shows your score(s) after playing your turn.

Your opponent(s) receive an update e-mail with current score and total scores. The score value of each letter is indicated by a number at the bottom of the tile. The score value of a blank is zero. 2) The score for each turn is the sum of the letter values in each word(s) formed or modified on that turn, plus the additional points obtained from placing letters on Premium Squares. 3) Premium Letter Squares: A light blue square doubles the score of a letter placed on it; a dark blue square triples the letter score. 4) Premium Word Squares: The score for an entire word is doubled when one of its letters is placed on a pink square: it is tripled when one of its letters is placed on a red square. Include premiums for double or triple letter values, if any, before doubling or tripling the word score. 5) If a word is formed that covers two double word premium squares, the score is doubled and then re-doubled (4 times the letter count), or tripled and then re-tripled (9 times the letter count), if a word covers two triple word premium squares.

In the Super Scrabble© game, if a word covers a double and triple premium word squares, the score is doubled, and then tripled, (6 times the letter count). Or if a word covers a triple, and quadruple premium word squares, the score is tripled, and then quadrupled (12 times the letter count). NOTE: the centre square is a pink square, which doubles the score for the first word. If player 1 passes on their opening play, the double word premium centre square score value, passes to player 2. 6) Letter and word premiums count only on the turn in which they are played. On later turns, letters already played on premium squares count at face value. 7) When a blank tile is played on a pink or red square, the value of the word is doubled or tripled, even though the blank itself has no score value. 8) When two or more words are formed in the same play, each is scored. The common letter is counted (with full premium value, if any) for each word. 9) BINGO! (50 extra points). If you play all seven tiles in a single play it's called a Bingo.

Bingos score you a premium of 50 points on top of your score for the turn. 10) Remaining Letters: When the game ends, each players' score is reduced by the sum of their remaining letters. In addition, if a player has used all of their letters, the sum of the other players' remaining letters is added to that players' score. 11) The player with the highest final score wins the game. In case of a tie, the player with the highest score before adding or deducting remaining letters wins. How to Play Scrabble (with Pictures) - wikiHow Preparing to Play 1 Make sure that you have everything you need to play Scrabble. Before you begin your game, make sure that you have everything that you need to play Scrabble. You will need a game board, 100 letter tiles, one letter rack for each player, and a cloth bag to hold the letter tiles. You will also need 1-3 other people to play with. [1] 2 Choose a dictionary to use for challenges. It is possible that during the course of your game, someone will play a word that another play believes is spelled wrong or that is not a word at all.

In a situation like this, you will need to look up the word in a dictionary. Make sure that you have a dictionary on hand to deal with challenges. [2] 3 Put letter tiles in the bag and shake them up. To make sure that the letters are mixed up, put them into the bag, close it, and shake them around a bit. If you don’t have a bag to use, you can put all of the letters face down on the table and shuffle them. [3] 4 Determine who goes first. Pass the bag around the table and allow each player to draw one letter tile. Then, place your letter tiles face up on the table. The player with the letter that is closest to the letter “A” gets to go first. Put these letters back into the bag and shuffle them again before drawing tiles. [4] 5 Draw your tiles. Beginning with the player who got the letter closest to “A”, pass the tile bag around and have each player draw seven tiles without looking into the bag. Do not show these tiles to your fellow players. Just put them onto your tile rack and pass the bag to the next player until everyone has drawn their letters.

[5] Part 2 Playing the Game 1 Play the first word. The player who chose the letter closest to “A” gets to play the first word. The word must use at least two tiles and it must be placed across the star square in the center of the board. The word can be laid out in a vertical or horizontal fashion, but it cannot be diagonal. When calculating the first word score, keep in mind that the player who places the first word gets to double his or her total score because the star counts as a Premium Square with a double word bonus. For example, if the total value of the first word played was 8, then the player would receive a score of 16. [6] 2 Count up your points. After you have put down a word, make sure that you count up your points. Add up the points on the upper right hand corner of each of the tiles you laid down. If you placed a tile on a Premium Square, adjust your score as indicated by the Premium Square. [7] For example, if you place a word over a square that says “Double Word” on it, then you should double the total value of your word.

If you place a tile over a square that says “Double Letter”, then you should double the value of that letter tile only when you calculate your score. 3 Draw new tiles. After each of your turns, you will need to draw as many new tiles as you just played. For example, if you played three of your tiles to form a word during your turn, then you need to draw three new tiles at the end of your turn. Place these new tiles on your rack and pass the bag to the next player. [8] 4 Build on other players’ words. On your next turn, you will have to add onto the words that your opponents have just played. That means that you cannot just create a freestanding word on the board, all of the tiles must be connected. As you build onto the words that your opponents have played, make sure that you consider all of the connected tiles. Your addition to the board must create at least one new word, but if you connect to other tiles, from other directions, then you need to make sure that you are creating valid words with these connections. [9] 5 Use your tiles to get the highest score possible per turn.

It is a good idea to consider multiple plays during each of your turns and to go with the play that will gain you the most points. Look for opportunities to incorporate Premium Squares and high value letters like “Z” and “Q” into your plays. [10] Available Premium Squares include: Double Letter Score: This means that a letter placed on this square receives double the number of points that are shown on the letter. Double Word Score: This means that a word that is made that includes the letter that is placed on this square receives double the number of points that it otherwise would. Triple Letter Score: This means that a letter placed on this square receives three times the number of points that are shown on the letter. Triple Word Score: This means that a word that is made that includes the letter that is placed on this square receives triple the number of points that it otherwise would. 6 Challenge other players to dispute a word. If you think that a player has played a word that does not exist or that another player has misspelled a word, then you can challenge that player. When you challenge a player, you look up the word in the dictionary.

[11] If the word is in the dictionary and the player has spelled it correctly, then the word stays and the player gets the points. The challenger loses his or her turn. If the word is not in the dictionary or the player has spelled it incorrectly, then the player must remove the word from the board. The player gains no points and loses that turn. 7 Exchange tiles you don’t want. At some point during the game, you may decide that you want to exchange some or all of your tiles for new ones. You can use a turn to get new tiles. Just discard the tiles that you no longer want into the bag, shuffle the bag and draw the number of tiles that you discarded. Just keep in mind that you cannot play a word in addition to drawing new tiles, this will count as your turn. [12] Part 3 Scoring 1 Keep score as you go. It is important to keep a careful tally of each player’s scores as you play. Each player should announce his or her score after adding it up and then the score keeper should write it down right away. [13] 2 Watch for Premium Score squares.

Premium Squares will alter your word scores, so pay attention to these when you play words. You can only use the bonus from a Premium Square if you laid the tile over that square during the current turn. You cannot incorporate bonuses from Premium Squares that you already counted in a different turn or that were counted by a different player. [14] When adding the bonuses for plays with multiple Premium Squares, add the letter bonuses in before the word bonuses. For example, if you spell a word that has a double letter bonus and a triple word bonus, add the double letter bonus to your total before multiplying the total by three. 3 Get 50 points added to your word score if you get a BINGO. A BINGO is when you use all seven of your tiles to play a word. When this happens, you should add up the total value of your word plus any bonuses gained from Premium Tiles and then add 50 points. [15] 4 Add up each player’s scores at the end of the game. After all of the players have exhausted their tiles or cannot play any more words, add up each player’s points total.

As the score keeper adds the totals, each player should let him or her know the points value (if any) of the tiles he or she has left over. Deduct this value from each player’s points total to determine each player’s final score. [16] 5 Announce the winner. After the score keeper has added each player’s scores and deducted the values of any unused tiles, he or she may announce the winner. The person who has the highest score wins the game. Second place goes to the person with the second-highest score, and so on. Part 4 Finding People to Play With 1 Invite friends over for a friendly game. Scrabble is a fun game that is easy to learn, so it’s a great way to spend time with friends. Invite a few of your friends over for a Scrabble night. You will get lots of practice and it will make for a fun evening. 2 Join Scrabble club. Perhaps you want to play Scrabble on a weekly basis. If you don’t know many people who would be into playing Scrabble with you on such a regular basis, then a Scrabble club might be for you. Look for a club in your area or consider forming your own Scrabble club.

[17] 3 Enter a tournament. After you have developed your skills a bit and feel ready to compete with other players, try entering a Scrabble tournament. You will get to play lots of games and you will meet people who share your love of the game. [18] Part 5 Playing Scrabble Professionally 1 Play using the official Scrabble dictionary, enforcing fake or illegal words. If you're going to play professionally, such as at the National Scrabble Tournaments, you need to play by the rules. Buy an official dictionary and enforce the rules when playing with friends. You need to practice how you'll play if you're going to be a professional. You can practice against other professionals online at the Internet Scrabble Club , a sort of meeting place for serious players. [19] This can help you learn the tricky, odd words needed to play professionally, like "umiaq," "MBAQANGA," or "qi." 2 Learn tournament etiquette. A tournament is not like your classic living room Scrabble. There are rules and regulations to make sure everything goes smoothly. While you can read the entire rule-book here , the basics include: Time yourself, starting and stopping with each turn.

Recording score, for both players, after each turn. Drawing new tiles at eye level, with your palms open, looking away from the bag. The ability to call a "Hold," which gives you 15 seconds to challenge a word. Using a computer to adjudicate disputes. [20] 3 Join the North American Scrabble Players Association (NASPA). This is where the big-dogs get into tournaments. They sanction the major events, which you only have to be a member to join. If you want to be a professional, this is the way to go. If you're looking to practice in person a bit, see if your town or city has a local Scrabble Club. This is a good place to practice some tournament play before going to NASPA if you're nervous. 4 Study word lists religiously. In Scrabble, words are your weapons. So, the more you know, the better you'll be. Take the time to thumb through the dictionary once a day.

Look up an online "word of the day." Best yet, go online and search "Scrabble Word Lists." The professionals actually make flash-cards and study the lists religiously, focusing especially on "weird word lists" that can save you in a pinch. [21] You can even look up lists for one letter-- like all words that contain that pesky "X" or "Q." While the official Scrabble dictionary doesn't contain profanity or slurs, they are actually all fair game in tournament play. [22] 5 Know the power of your specific tiles. Some tiles are worth a lot more than others -- the S, for example, is a powerful way to tack on an extra letter to just about any word. Blank tiles should be saved for a huge word or scoring play, since you can use them easily. And get rid of Qs quickly, preferably on small words like "qi" or "qat" (both legal words). Just playing your tiles and scoring points is generally better than holding on for a long time to get one great word or Triple Word Score. Just keep scoring away. [23] 6 Keep track of the tiles.

Professionals actually track the tiles, keeping mental or written notes of what is left in the bag. This gets crucial as the game continues. If you're going to exchange, hoping to get a new vowel, you should know vaguely how many vowels are in the bag. If there aren't a lot of Qs, Vs, and Zs on the board, and you don't have any, you can be sure your opponent has a few (meaning you might risk opening up a Triple Word Score -- hoping they can't hit it). What are the rules for playing Scrabble in a nutshell? wikiHow Contributor In a nutshell: You cannot use names. You cannot use brands. You can only use proper spelling. You can have a time limit to make a word, but this one is completely optional. There are more advanced rules if desired, but these are the basic ones. What do you score for each of the 26 letters?

wikiHow Contributor A-1, B-3, C-3, D-2, E-1, F-4, G-2, H-4, I-1, J-8, K-5, L-1, M-3, N-1, O-1, P-3, Q-10, R-1, S-1, T-1, U-1, V-4, W-4, X-8, Y-4, Z-10. Once I've put tiles on the board, can I change my word before the next person plays? wikiHow Contributor It depends on the rules of who you are playing with. In most cases, you won't be able to change the word once you lay your tiles down. Is it legal to play a word, realize it isn't correct, pick up the tiles, and continue to play another word? wikiHow Contributor Must the first word cross the star in the middle? wikiHow Contributor Can I make multiple words in different places on the board as long as they connect to existing tiles? wikiHow Contributor No, you can only make one word in one direction in one place. Words created by intersecting letters don't count.

Who starts a new game? The winner or the loser of the last game? wikiHow Contributor Normally the winner, but if you want to be extremely generous, then it could be the loser. How to Play Scrabble How to Play Scrabble First time playing Scrabble or a board game veteran who wants to make sure they're playing correctly? Watch this how-to video from About.com to learn the right way to play Scrabble. Show transcript Hide transcript Transcript: How to Play Scrabble Hi, I'm Aubrey for About.com. Today, I'm going to give you a basic idea how to play Scrabble. To get started, let's go over the equipment / game pieces. The Scrabble Game Board A Scrabble game board has a grid with 15 squares across and 15 squares high. Scrabble Tiles There are 100 Scrabble tiles. All but 2 of the tiles have a letter on them. The remaining 2 tiles are blank and can be substituted for any letter. The tiles are worth different points depending on how common or uncommon the letter is. Blank tiles aren't worth any points. How to Play Scrabble To get started, each of the players will select a tile out of the bag, without looking.

Whoever picks the tile closest to the letter "A" will go first. A blank tile is considered better than an "A" tile. Players will then return all of the letters to the bag. Next, each player will start by selecting 7 tiles from the bag, again without looking into the bag. The first player will use two or more of their the letters to compose a word. They will place this word on the board either vertically or horizontally. The first letter of the first word must be placed on the star square at the center of the board. This star will count as a double word score on the first play. Players will then take turns playing, going in a clockwise direction around the board. Once a player puts a word on the board, they must select new letters to replace those they played, so they always have 7 tiles. During Your Turn in Scrabble During their turn, a player can either place a word on the scrabble board, exchange tiles, or pass on their turn. If a player passes two consecutive times then the game ends. If a player decides to exchange their letters, they cannot place a word on the board until their next turn. Word scores are calculated by adding up the numbers on each of the tiles.

Extra points can be earned by arranging a word over premium squares. These squares are multipliers, they either multiply an individual letter or the entire word by the value listed on the square. The specific values are printed on the board. If a player puts a word on the board and one of the tiles touches a tile in an adjacent row, it must also form a word. A players receives points for any of the words they play or modify during their play. Extra Points in Scrabble If someone plays all of their tiles in a single word, they receive a 50 point bonus, to be added after factoring in any multipliers from premium squares. All words in the Standard English dictionary can be used, except for: abbreviations, proper nouns, prefixes, suffixes, as well as words that have apostrophes or hyphens A player can challenge a word by looking it up in an agreed upon dictionary. The tiles are removed if the word is incorrect. Additionally, the player loses the turn. A tile is not to be moved once it has been placed on the board, unless a word has been challenged and successfully disproven.

The game is over when all of the tiles have been selected from the bag, and one of the players has played all of their tiles. Tallying Scrabble Scores After tallying all of the points, the player with the highest score wins. About videos are made available on an "as is" basis, subject to the Terms of Use .

Question: How many bonus points does a Scrabble player receive when playing all 7 of their tiles in a single turn?
Answer: 50